The CCM Brand

[TheGoalNet]

Was invited to preview the CCM P2 and AS1 skate line. Will be headed to Montreal for a couple days... 

Ahead of that, what’s your opinion on CCM? Click as many boxes that apply 

[Pauly35or00]

Conservative, classic, and trusted. I don't think CCM has done anything since the the P1 years that have pushed the position forward but for those that like more traditional gear they are like an old pair of jeans.

I'm also not a big fan of forcing the kids in the CHL to wear CCM gear but hey free gear is free.

[ULTIMA]

CCM is overall the best goalie company in the world. And when I say that it probably makes other loyal company guys upset. What makes them the best? They have stood the test of time. They always have fantastic representation in the pro leagues from top notch goalies. And not to take shots at other companies, but not many other can say they have everything - masks to skates and everything in between. You can get everything you need from them. Both families of gear are fantastic and three grades of each family makes in convenient to accommodate every goalie's budget. That 590 glove is timeless and a near perfect glove in my opinion.

You don't have to wear their stuff but you have to give credit where it's due. They have put their thumb print on this industry and like them or not, everyone knows that CCM is a goalie industry leader.

[TheGoalNet]

1 hour ago, Pauly35or00 said:

Conservative, classic, and trusted. I don't think CCM has done anything since the the P1 years that have pushed the position forward but for those that like more traditional gear they are like an old pair of jeans.

I'm also not a big fan of forcing the kids in the CHL to wear CCM gear but hey free gear is free.

There’s at least 1 company I know of paying CHL guys. I’m not referring to CCM, but they could do it too 

[TheGoalNet]

I agree CCM’s innovations may not seem as eye catching as others... but they made the molded core solid foam pad an industry staple. That’s a pretty big deal. 

[RichMan]

I would start with:

- widen the toe box in the skates and keep at least one traditional model option for those uninterested in cowling-less skates

- BRING BACK THE H5 c/a with upgraded belly (better padding)...that one's for me

[keeperton]

The only CCM stuff I've ever used are their sticks.

CCM to me is accessible to all, but I've never tried on any of their gear and thought "yeah, I would want to use this." Not even the blockers, only their sticks because I like where the weight sits in them. I can't help but feel they are popular because they're so big and able to throw money at the wall and provide so much gear to be so accessible. None of this to say I think any of it's terrible, just never been anything for me (except those sticks and the Gatekeeper line, loved those when they were relevant).

Also gotta admit that I was a little frustrated when they bought Heaton, some of my favorite pieces were Heaton.

[IPv6Freely]

3 hours ago, ULTIMA said:

CCM is overall the best goalie company in the world.

Unless you’re talking about the fact that they have products in every category, I disagree. 

[IPv6Freely]

24 minutes ago, keeperton said:

The only CCM stuff I've ever used are their sticks.

CCM to me is accessible to all, but I've never tried on any of their gear and thought "yeah, I would want to use this." Not even the blockers, only their sticks because I like where the weight sits in them. I can't help but feel they are popular because they're so big and able to throw money at the wall and provide so much gear to be so accessible. None of this to say I think any of it's terrible, just never been anything for me (except those sticks and the Gatekeeper line, loved those when they were relevant).

Also gotta admit that I was a little frustrated when they bought Heaton, some of my favorite pieces were Heaton.

I feel a similar way. Same way I feel about Vaughn too. Nothing I look at and think it’s an upgrade to what I have. 

[keeperton]

22 minutes ago, IPv6Freely said:

I feel a similar way. Same way I feel about Vaughn too. Nothing I look at and think it’s an upgrade to what I have. 

Vaughn has always been my standard of where I start from. Not that I wear much Vaughn, anymore, but it's where I started.

My brother always wore only all Vaughn, starting back with the Vaughn Visions, and I had a mix of Vaughn, Heaton, and Brian's. Thus, my first real set-up was Vaughn Legacy gloves, Legacy C/A, Velocity pads, V7000 neckguard (still use one of these).

To bring this back and be relevant, I agree. When I start looking at new gear, I obviously want something that I'm used to, but is also more in line with what I really want. I usually start trying on Vaughn stuff as a basis, but then find what I'd change to suit my needs and gravitate that way.

[loki1416]

To find what I wanted to buy, I started with gloves. Drove 7hrs to Perani's in Ohio because they had an actual goalie selection. So tried on every glove from every brand. As I've stated elsewhere on the forums, break doesn't really mean anything to me. But the CCM glove felt awkward on my hand. I just couldn't get my hand comfy in it. I'm not saying any of their gear is bad (did eventually get to try a buddy's leg pads and they were great), but after the glove I didn't look at them again.

[Chenner29]

Are we talking CCM only or Koho by Lefevre/Rbk/Reebok/CCM?

I hold the opinion they currently have the best blocker and knee block offered at retail.

IMO through the years they've made some pretty important innovations to gear.
I wouldn't say any of these changes were game-breaking like the Velocity pad or the CORETECH on the Bauers, they were still solid upgrades that pushed the industry forward.
You'll likely see some of the influence from some of the items below in lines offered by other brands.

I believe they were first to market with:
One piece foam core goal pad (RBK Premier 1; although I believe the Koho 500 was made this way too?)
Full flat face goal pad (CCM Blockade)
Triangular vertical/side roll (CCM Blockade)
"Carbon fiber" reinforcement (RBK Premier 1 chest and arm)
One piece catch glove cuff (Reebok Premier 3)
Strap through knee block (RBK Premier 1)
Removable steel in skates (RBK 9k)
Shaved down goalie cowlings (RBK 9k)
Inner belt in pants (RBK 9k)
And let's not forget the most important...the "Get in the Zone" iPod sleeve on their pads and pants.

If we are including Koho,
Large blocker sidewall (Koho 530)
Breathable mesh in blocker finger stalls (Koho 530/560)
"Exotic materials" - Honeycomb padding (Koho 570/590 chest and arm, now D30 everything)

[estogoalie]

I'm not a fan of Lefevre for some reason. The gear is stiff and uninviting. Tried everything from them and nothing appeals to me. My son likes CCM tho, probably from watching too much NHL. I think their over-saturation there drips into the kids sub-conscience. So good marketing/sales there at least, I guess.

[bunnyman666]

CCM for me was something great before the turn of the century and became horrendously annoying after they gobbled up all of the really cool little hockey companies and made them disappear. Thanks to CCM, there is no longer Jofa, Titan, Koho and the like. Of course Bauer gobbled up the others. And the insulting thing? You can’t even get a new HT-2.

[TheGoalNet]

@bunnyman666 - Just as an FYI - Sport Maska / The Hockey Company has all been 1 company since the early 90s. Heaton, Koho, Jofa, Canadian, Titan, and CCM were all 1 and Reebok was a 5% owner. What’s changed over time was Reebok’s whole ownership, consolidation of brands, Adidas acquisition of Reebok, and Adidas’ departure from hard goods like golf and hockey

I actually like CCM by Lefevre better than Reebok. Koho by Lefevre is inconic, but I don’t think anyone would like Lefevre less if it had had been branded CCM by Lefevre from the Roy days forward 

[bunnyman666]

1 minute ago, TheGoalNet said:

@bunnyman666 - Just as an FYI - Sport Maska / The Hockey Company has all been 1 company since the early 90s. Heaton, Koho, Jofa, Canadian, Titan, and CCM were all 1 and Reebok was a 5% owner. What’s changed over time was Reebok’s whole ownership, consolidation of brands, Adidas acquisition of Reebok, and Adidas’ departure from hard goods like golf and hockey

I actually like CCM by Lefevre better than Reebok. Koho by Lefevre is inconic, but I don’t think anyone would like Lefevre less if it had had been branded CCM by Lefevre from the Roy days forward 

I thought that’s what the deal was; however- it seemed around the turn of the century or a bit later was when Reebok ended up with further control and ultimately wanted the shoe brand to be in hockey like Nike. 

[TheGoalNet]

1 hour ago, bunnyman666 said:

I thought that’s what the deal was; however- it seemed around the turn of the century or a bit later was when Reebok ended up with further control and ultimately wanted the shoe brand to be in hockey like Nike. 

Reebok took total control around 2003ish and trimmed the roster fully to CCM and RBK

[bunnyman666]

27 minutes ago, TheGoalNet said:

Reebok took total control around 2003ish and trimmed the roster fully to CCM and RBK

So I was basically correct!

[BadAngle41]

On 1/28/2018 at 2:18 AM, Chenner29 said:

Are we talking CCM only or Koho by Lefevre/Rbk/Reebok/CCM?

I think @Chenner29 makes a great distinction here. I'm a big Lefevre fan but less so CCM. The only non-Lefevre CCM product I had was a brief stink in some 1052 skates which felt like a slipper from day 1 but sadly broke down is less than a year... went back to Grafs after that. 

If Lefevre had gone to Bauer instead of Koho/CCM... I'd be in Bauer gear now.

[stackem30]

On 1/28/2018 at 9:14 AM, bunnyman666 said:

CCM for me was something great before the turn of the century and became horrendously annoying after they gobbled up all of the really cool little hockey companies and made them disappear. Thanks to CCM, there is no longer Jofa, Titan, Koho and the like. Of course Bauer gobbled up the others. And the insulting thing? You can’t even get a new HT-2.

Same! I understand it from a business perspective, but I think it's such a shame that there are so few companies out there... and it's pretty easy to point the finger at The Hockey Company buying up all those brands around the turn of the century. It's too bad to think that so many unique brands and quirky, memorable features were all gobbled up and (for the most part) completely done away with. I generally like CCM, by the way... I hardly own any of their gear at this point, but I responded with "Proven", which is leading at this point.

And don't forget -- NEVER forget -- it's all an improvement over Rbk.

[MTH]

CCM goalie today is dated gear. They were the hot pad when the vintage craze was going. Now? Not so much.

I see CCM gear in Dick's. I know it's their junk line, but to me and my kids, CCM goalie stuff is from Dick's.

CCM goalie gear lines are as confusing as Cadillac car names too. What's the latest CCM gear line now? The Premier 2? 600? EFlex? Wha?

They still have leather leg pad straps. Enough said.

[stackem30]

2 hours ago, MTH said:

They still have leather leg pad straps. Enough said.

Not to derail the conversation away from CCM, but I'm always a bit curious as to why so many people are so very set against leather straps.

I understand that they add unnecessary ounces to the pad, and that they take longer to strap up than velcro (neither bothers me, but you can't argue with either point). But on the other hand, they're sturdy, and they're bound to last much longer than stretchy velcro straps. What do people do when the straps have lost their elasticity, or the velcro has become all chewed up and lost much of its grip? Granted I buy my pads for the long(ggg) run, and some people here seem to go through lots of sets, and wouldn't need to worry about how their straps far after 5 years. It's all personal preference anyway, but I'm interested in why people feel strongly one way or the other.

[bunnyman666]

@stackem30 Whilst not using leather straps, I want the option to use them. I totally understand your reasoning behind wanting them. 

[IPv6Freely]

3 hours ago, MTH said:

CCM goalie today is dated gear. They were the hot pad when the vintage craze was going. Now? Not so much.

I see CCM gear in Dick's. I know it's their junk line, but to me and my kids, CCM goalie stuff is from Dick's.

CCM goalie gear lines are as confusing as Cadillac car names too. What's the latest CCM gear line now? The Premier 2? 600? EFlex? Wha?

They still have leather leg pad straps. Enough said.

To go along with that, tne could easily say CCM is the Cadillac of goalie gear  

1 hour ago, stackem30 said:

Not to derail the conversation away from CCM, but I'm always a bit curious as to why so many people are so very set against leather straps.

I understand that they add unnecessary ounces to the pad, and that they take longer to strap up than velcro (neither bothers me, but you can't argue with either point). But on the other hand, they're sturdy, and they're bound to last much longer than stretchy velcro straps. What do people do when the straps have lost their elasticity, or the velcro has become all chewed up and lost much of its grip? Granted I buy my pads for the long(ggg) run, and some people here seem to go through lots of sets, and wouldn't need to worry about how their straps far after 5 years. It's all personal preference anyway, but I'm interested in why people feel strongly one way or the other.

You replace them.  

Leather straps just don't have a lot of benefit anymore. Like lace toe ties they don't necessarily HINDER because people have basically just set them so that they don't do a whole lot. With lace toe ties most people are making the slack so long that they're basically doing nothing, which is why you get the "I have lace toe ties and have no problems" argument. Of course you're having no problems - they're literally not doing anything.

Another example is boot straps - the function they were added to the pad for isn't relevant anymore. In the case of the boot strap, they were originally added to goalie pads to ensure the pad doesn't rotate which is obviously no longer desired. 

All of that said, leather straps aren't considered a problem for most people because, for calf straps for example, they're so loose they almost might as well not even be there. They're literally doing very little at this point. The elastic straps allow you to wear your pad tighter to your leg (a good thing) while maintaining modern pad rotation (also a good thing). If you wore leather straps tightly, you wouldn't be able to properly execute a modern butterfly.

Like you said, it's personal preference but you're definitely going to see leather straps less and less because they just don't make sense on pads designed for the modern style.  

[TheGoalNet]

The P2 pad is in the category of lightest pad on the market. It will be one of those scenarios where you will need a scale to figure out if P2, Optik, G4 etc is the lightest 

I know many will consider CCM conservative, but P2 should be able to compete with any pad. Bauer is the only one doing things crazy differently